Commercial Director（Sports & Entertainment）/ 事業開発ディレクター

About the company

This is a global sports, media, and entertainment business that sits at the center of commercial partnerships, talent representation, and brand-building. It works with leading athletes, intellectual property, and brands to create high-value opportunities across a broad range of industries and markets.

The culture is highly relationship-driven, collaborative, and commercially focused, with a strong emphasis on integrity, teamwork, and delivering results. The business offers the opportunity to work across international teams and contribute to a fast-moving environment where creative thinking and strong client service are valued. It also promotes an inclusive workplace and a hybrid approach, with employees in the office four days per week.

What the job entails

The Commercial Director will sit within the business development and commercial team, responsible for managing the full lifecycle of commercial opportunities from initial brand engagement through deal structuring, execution, and relationship management. This role is primarily focused on supporting Japanese clients across golf, tennis, winter sports, and related disciplines.

You will identify and develop new business opportunities across sponsorships, endorsements, partnerships, rights, and other commercial initiatives. The role includes leading deal discussions, managing proposals and approvals, coordinating closely with Creative, Social, Legal, Finance, and Operations teams, and ensuring commercial terms, deliverables, and timelines are clearly documented. You will also oversee project plans, budgets, forecasting, and reporting, while serving as a primary commercial contact for clients and helping drive long-term revenue growth.

Key requirements / What we look for

• 5+ years of experience in sports marketing or a related commercial role

• Fluent written and spoken Japanese and English

• Strong business development, negotiation, and revenue-generation skills

• Experience selling and growing new business; a track record of exceeding targets

• Ability to work in a matrixed, fast-changing environment

• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills

• Team leadership experience in a mid- to large-sized organization